Events Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001

Posted Sep 01, 2026

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. For many faculty, staff, and some alumni, this anniversary will bring back solemn memories and feelings that call for community.

For current students and younger alumni, who know Sept. 11 primarily through textbooks and documentaries, this anniversary provides an opportunity for education and the context that only personal insight and historical perspective can provide.

To create opportunities for both community and education, Otterbein invites students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11 at the events below.

For more information or to share your 9/11 story, contact Chief Inclusion Officer Rhonda Talford McClure ’96 at mcclure5@otterbein.edu.

Sept. 8-10, 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. daily: Flag Placement in Honor of Victims of 9/11, Towers Lawn, 1 S. Grove St. Sign up to help

  • Tuesday, Sept. 8: Everyone is invited to help place 2,753 flags on Towers Lawn, one for each of the lives lost in New York City.
  • Wednesday, Sept. 9: Everyone is invited to help place 184 flags on Towers Lawn, one for each of the lives lost at the Pentagon in Arlington, VA.
  • Thursday, Sept. 10: Everyone is invited to help place 40 flags on Towers Lawn, one for each of the lives lost in a field outside Shanksville, PA.

Thursday, Sept. 10, 5-6 p.m.: Remembrance Event, Riley Auditorium, Battelle Fine Arts Center, 170 W. Park St.

  • Concert Choir, under the direction of Professor Gayle Walker, will perform. Walker led members of Otterbein’s Concert Choir at a fundraiser at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001.
  • Members of the Otterbein community will share their personal stories from 9/11.

Friday, Sept. 11, all day: Remember the Sky social media campaign

  • Otterbein invites everyone to “Remember the Sky” with the September 11 Memorial & Museum. You can participate by taking a photo of the sky on campus on Sept. 11, share it on social media, tag @911memorial and @otterbeinu, and include the hashtags #neverforget911 and #rememberthesky.

Friday, Sept. 11, 12 p.m., City of Westerville Remembrance Gathering, First Responders Park, 374 W. Main St. (near campus)

  • The City of Westerville will host a remembrance gathering to observe the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Members of the Westerville Fire and Police Divisions alongside City Council and the VFW/American Legion will gather around artifact C-40, a piece of steel from the North Tower that permanently lives in the First Responders Park to honor that legacy.